Coast could be 'healthy' region

THE Sunshine Coast could aspire to be Australia’s healthiest community.

That's if a taskforce set up to identify ways to capitalise on opportunities surrounding a $2 billion investment in hospitals has its way.

While the taskforce’s focus is on targeting Coast-based business and job opportunities, Regional Development Australia Sunshine Coast chair Debbie Blumel said members hoped the focus on health services and health training would have a ripple effect on our communities.

“Probably the most interesting idea that has emerged in our first meeting today is that the Sunshine Coast could aspire to be Australia’s healthiest community,” she said.

“We want to integrate the focus on prevention and health promotion in all the work we do,” she said.

Ms Blumel, also a Coast councillor, said the Coast had been identified as one of the most “at risk” regions in the country for unemployment.

She said the Kawana development was the biggest hospital project in Australia and an “enormous opportunity” for Coast business and industry.

“The key things people in the taskforce want to do include industry development and training here,” she said.

“We have so many small and medium-sized enterprises, so we’re looking at how we can develop the capacity of those industries to enable them to contract competitively.

“We’re looking at the need for sector leaders to emerge to provide a face and leader role for the work that needs to be done.

“We’re also talking about the need for TAFE and university to provide the skills needed, particularly apprenticeship and training opportunities.”

Ms Blumel said this economic investment, the public and private hospital, represented a quarter of the current gross regional product for the region.

“We’re talking about the development of the Kawana town centre and growing businesses which will want to cluster around a major tertiary education hospital,” she said.

“We’ll be doing further mapping and industry development around those opportunities and looking to be a driver of this process.”